#5486
[Second Issue of the Day]
#5
The Guardian (UK)
10 October 2001
East meets west over terrorism crisis
The post-communist countries of central and eastern Europe are desperate to
join the international coalition against terrorism
By Kate Connolly
For the post-communist countries of central and eastern Europe, the current
global situation means a welcome chance for them be taken more seriously as
international partners.
Since the September 11 attacks, all the countries in the region, including
the 10 nations pressing to join Nato - whose allies last week granted
automatic and unlimited access to its airfields and ports - have without
exception pledged their military and logistical help in the fight against
terrorism.
Almost all the countries have agreed to open their airspace to the US air
force, to send their own soldiers to relief US troops on peacekeeping duty in
the Balkans, and to provide special brigades, field hospitals and
anti-chemical units - to do anything, in short, which is "within our
objective possibilities", as the Slovak president, Rudolf Schuster, put it
on
national television.
Poland, wishing to be seen as a self-starter, has even agreed to hold a
US-backed counter-terrorism summit next month. Romania's president, Ion
Illiescu, has pledged his country's commitment by saying it will act as a
"de
facto" member of Nato in the wake of attacks, at the same time quietly
expressing the hope that: "the global situation will increase our chances
of
joining Nato."
The air strikes on Afghanistan are a "defence of the values of our
civilisation uniting a large number of religions, cultures and countries,"
the Czech president, Vaclav Havel, said on Sunday, underlining how at no
other time since the fall of Communism has the word "our" been used so
confidently by leaders in the region when referring as well to the west.
For his part, the Croatian president, Stipe Mesic, emphasised that his
country's place in the anti-terrorist coalition was "incontestable",
determined by Croatia's "firm commitment to democracy, civil society ...
and
the rule of law".
Gone, for the time being at least, is any sense of 'them and us'. The
emerging democracies hope that this is the beginning of a new meaningful and
- for once - reciprocal relationship with their western partners.
The Hungarian chief of staff almost sounded disappointed earlier this week
when he told the nation: "The aircraft involved in the air strikes against
Afghanistan have not yet used Hungary's airspace."
As is often said, everyone pulls together in a war. But has there ever been
such desperation for countries to get involved in one in order to prove their
worth?
There is huge enthusiasm for using the present crisis not as a reason to
argue why the fledgling democracies should be in the west's clubs and
alliances, but to put the case as to why they cannot possibly be excluded
from it.
A November 2002 Nato summit in Prague is getting closer. The eastern
newcomers are hoping that by then they will have secured enough trust in
their abilities to finally merit invitations to join the alliance.
At a recent meeting in Sofia of the east European and Baltic countries who
are pressing to join Nato - following in the paths of Hungary, Czech Republic
and Poland who joined in 1999 - the opportunity was taken to send a strong
message to military chiefs.
"The blows at the heart of the United States have shed new light on the
need
to consolidate strength against the new evil," said the Bulgarian
president,
Peter Stoyanov, in a rousing speech. The September 11 attacks have added
urgency to a case that has long been argued.
This is beginning to be known as playing the Russian card. After the attacks,
Russian president Vladimir Putin made the most of the opportunity to say that
in return for offering his support, the west must now also support Russia and
take it seriously - including its attempts to crush the "terrorists"
of
Chechnya.
Mr Putin suggested that Russia could work with Nato in the new global
"battle". While just weeks ago, he was angrily opposing the eastward
expansion of the body which once was his country's biggest threat, in recent
days he has neither denied nor confirmed suggestions that Russia might even
consider joining the alliance.
These are strange times indeed.
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